Agent Zero, Crittention - Draw guns over gambling?

If their version of the story is true, Arenas is a douchebag.

offbeat? we're talking about Arenas here...

Touche.

offbeat? we're talking about Arenas here... but yes- i say nba players should leave it up to their security/body guards to be holding the guns

As long as they abide by the law I don't have any problems with them owning a gun or carrying one, but in D.C. they have strict handgun laws. I don't think you are allowed to have a gun on your person or in your vehicle at all. I have a concealed weapons permit here in Michigan and I sometimes carry my handgun with me when I am going to Detroit or Flint (fucking warzones) for my personal safety. You are a complete moron if you ever joke around with a gun, loaded or unloaded. Arenas should at least be suspended for the rest of this year and be charged with felony firearm possession.

offbeat? we're talking about Arenas here... but yes- i say nba players should leave it up to their security/body guards to be holding the guns

Exactly. Jordan does it, Tiger, and other celebs too. Let the professionals handle that.

I'm with Ryan, suspend both for the rest of the season. Case closed.

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offbeat? we're talking about Arenas here... but yes- i say nba players should leave it up to their security/body guards to be holding the guns

Exactly. Jordan does it, Tiger, and other celebs too. Let the professionals handle that.

I'm with Ryan, suspend both for the rest of the season. Case closed.

hmmm i'd like to see that happen too though the players association is waiting in the shadows. there may not even be a felony charge if Arenas admits guilt and settles for a lesser charge

anyone remember how the Sprewell choking incident played out? what was he originally charged with/how long was he suspended? i forget so easy

1997 choking incident
Though a four-time All-Star, Sprewell's career has been permanently overshadowed by an incident on December 1, 1997, in which he attacked head coach P. J. Carlesimo during a Warriors practice. When Carlesimo yelled at Sprewell to make crisper passes (specifically asking him to "put a little mustard" on a pass[1]), Sprewell responded that he was not in the mood for criticism and told the coach to keep his distance. When Carlesimo approached, Sprewell threatened to kill him and dragged him to the ground by his throat, choking him for 10–15 seconds before his teammates pulled Sprewell off his coach. Sprewell returned about 20 minutes later and landed a glancing blow at Carlesimo before being dragged away again. It was not his first violent incident with the Warriors; in 1995, Sprewell fought with teammate Jerome Kersey and returned to practice carrying a two-by-four, and reportedly threatened to return with a gun.[2]
[edit]Aftermath
Sprewell was suspended for 10 days without pay. The next day, in the wake of a public uproar, the Warriors voided the remainder of his contract, which included $23.7 million over three years, and the NBA suspended him from the league for 82 games. Sprewell took the case to arbitration, and, as a result, the contract voiding was overturned and the league suspension was reduced to the remaining 68 games of the season. During his suspension, Sprewell was charged with reckless driving for his role in a 90 mph accident that injured two people, spending three months under house arrest as part of a no-contest plea.

And was promptly dealt to the Knicks for John Starks and others as soon as the lockout was over.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4802267

Well, Arenas has felt the wrath of David Stern. It also certainly doesn't help when you're doing the good ole Cactus Jack "bang bang" in a pre game circle with your team. Real smart.

Yeah, not a good time to be joking around. Of course, the whole incident suggests that Arenas' idea of humour and comic timing leaves something to be desired. I suppose you could argue he's trying to keep his spirits up but not a good idea all the same. Some of the comments on this blog post are defending Arenas and even crying racism and foul over the suspension, but given the circumstances I think it's appropriate (none of those circumstances having anything to do with race whatsoever).

God, I used to like Gilbert Arenas, but he is literally numb to anything remotely normal and smart. He's acting like the great athlete in high school who gets away with everything and anything with no repercussions. I don't know that he should be banned or anything like I've seen in different places, but he should have to learn how to be a regular person. It's cool and hip when you do all these wild-and-crazy things on the court, but when you try to live that same life style off the court, you can't prosper.

his 100-whatever million dollar contract he signed last summer will show itself as one of the biggest GM fuck-ups ever in 10 years. Not to mention he's an offensive black hole when he plays basketball, he seems like quite the ass hole off the court as well.

Supposedly the Wizards might have an opportunity to void the contract so it'll be interesting to see if they'll go that route (assuming they can).

Supposedly the Wizards might have an opportunity to void the contract so it'll be interesting to see if they'll go that route (assuming they can).

I saw that and as benji posted and Mark Stein said, it'll be similar to the Sprewell situation. They'll void the contract, but then Arenas will go to an arbitrator and get his cash back.

I think it's totally blown out of proportion. It's not even close to the above mentioned behavior of Spree.

Of course Stern is a hypocrite as always, I'm sure his house is a mother ffin bunker.

Dude made a mistake. Yeah he broke a rule. But it doesn't have anything to do with basketball not did he do anything wrong on the court, or harm anybody. Therefore imo not worthy of suspension.

Yeah he broke a rule.

Actually, he also broke a law in addition to violating NBA policy (and the fact that he did the latter makes it very much a basketball related incident, because it happened while he was on the job). There's a serious legal situation here which is playing no small part in the suspension. I'm pretty sure that if you were working in an office somewhere and you produced a real handgun for the sake of a practical joke, especially in a state with such strict laws about carrying weapons, you'd be lucky not to get fired for such a stunt.

David Stern isn't being hypocritical at all. It's not about Arenas owning guns, it's about what he did, the laws he broke and the criminal investigation that is taking place.

Laws are broken all the time without people paying the penalty for it.

I'm no fan of guns, but I think violence is worse than having an unloaded gun in your locker - especially in the context. So it doesn't make sense to me to suspend somebody indefinitely for that, which is a much heavier penalty than a player would receive for punching another player in the face. Also against the law. But usually people don't pay the highest price for that..

I think a big fine, perhaps a couple of games suspension is worse enough. Arenas doesn't get a break though cause he's being set as an example.

I think it's totally blown out of proportion. It's not even close to the above mentioned behavior of Spree.

Of course Stern is a hypocrite as always, I'm sure his house is a mother ffin bunker.

Dude made a mistake. Yeah he broke a rule. But it doesn't have anything to do with basketball not did he do anything wrong on the court, or harm anybody. Therefore imo not worthy of suspension.

I don't want him to be suspended because he on my fantasy basketball team but he deserves it. Just because he didn't harm anybody doesn't make it legal. If this is ok then I guess it would be ok for me to walk into the White house with a gun as long as i didn't harm anyone. He probally will be suspended for the rest of the year and probally jail time to. I think he can get up to 5 years in prison too. My point is just because he's gilbert arenas doesn't mean he should be punished differently then anyone else.

I don't want him to be suspended because he on my fantasy basketball team but he deserves it. Just because he didn't harm anybody doesn't make it legal. If this is ok then I guess it would be ok for me to walk into the White house with a gun as long as i didn't harm anyone. He probally will be suspended for the rest of the year and probally jail time to. I think he can get up to 5 years in prison too. My point is just because he's gilbert arenas doesn't mean he should be punished differently then anyone else.

You don't work in the White House - I presume.
Unless you are Barack Obama, then the comparison is valid.

He brought something to his work place. He's not a lunatic from outside bringing weapons to a place where he isn't supposed to be in the first place. Big difference imo.

I think this falls in the category of stealing paperclips from your office type of fellony.

Last edited by Hedonist on Thu Jan 07, 2010 9:57 am, edited 1 time in total.

I think it's totally blown out of proportion. It's not even close to the above mentioned behavior of Spree.

Choking a coach is bad, but flashing a gun at a team mate in the US capital AT an NBA arena while breaking both local, NBA, and federal laws is a wee-bit worse.

Dude made a mistake. Yeah he broke a rule. But it doesn't have anything to do with basketball not did he do anything wrong on the court, or harm anybody. Therefore imo not worthy of suspension.

To say that it shouldn't matter since it wasn't on the court is just like saying this isn't suspension worthy:

8/28/09
The NBA suspended J.R. Smith (Den) for 7 games for his guilty plea this
summer for reckless driving from a 2007 car accident that results in the
death of a passenger in the car.

Things like this Arenas thing destroy the NBA's already in-and-out reputation. The more people hear about guys pulling guns in a lockerroom the less likely they are to pull the cash out of their wallets to go see those players.

Of course Stern is a hypocrite as always, I'm sure his house is a mother ffin bunker.

That's a terrible joke... YES, i've wanted to use that one on a bad joke and I finally got my chance! haha

Laws are broken all the time without people paying the penalty for it.

Normally federal offenses don't slip under the radar.

Yeah Rip, what you're saying about the JR Smith suspension, I see that, but I disagree with that one too. That's exactly my point. Basketball suspensions should be about basketball misbehaviour and nothing else, imo.

If a federal offense would have something to do with it, then jail would mean automatic suspension. But only due to not being able to show up for games.

He brought something to his work place. He's not a lunatic from outside bringing weapons to a place where he isn't supposed to be in the first place. Big difference imo.

Have you ever carried a gun to work? (i'm assuming your job doesn't involve a gun)

There will probably be a lot of people arguing that Stern is making Gilbert Arenas an 'example' and punishing him to make his point across because the NBA is concerned with its players and gun ownership.

I think Stern did the right thing to do. Unloaded or loaded, Gilbert Arenas took a gun into the arena and pointed it in a team mate's face. That is quite serious, evident in the fact that there is now a police investigation into it. It was the right thing for Stern to suspend Arenas. A note: Arenas may be out of the league for a long long time.

And hedonist, yes - basketball suspensions should be about basketball. Arenas' conduct has affected the basketball league. The players all have a contract in place. Suspensions are about the players breaching rules of said contract and codes of conducts/rules related to that contract. I'm sure that he is being suspended on the grounds that his actions have brought the league into disrepute; affecting the league's integrity. I'm pretty sure some kind of condition is written into NBA contracts, if not the players' codes of conducts. It's a breach that allows for the suspension to be made. Don't quote me on that word for word but I'm pretty sure that something like that would exist in the contract.

Supposedly the Wizards might have an opportunity to void the contract so it'll be interesting to see if they'll go that route (assuming they can).

They probably should be able to. Unsure unless you have a look at an actual contract but maybe something has been written in and/or it has happened before in sports.

He brought something to his work place. He's not a lunatic from outside bringing weapons to a place where he isn't supposed to be in the first place. Big difference imo.

Have you ever carried a gun to work? (i'm assuming your job doesn't involve a gun)

No. I only bring drugs to my work. You know, for lunch.
But I'm not American in the first place - guns are very uncommon around here, and I'm definitely not a big time multi-millionaire basketball player - those guys have guns, it's a fact.

I don't see how my personal situation should influence my opinion anyway.

Btw I do think it's wrong, he should be punished but not a whole season and more than that I'm amazed at how all of you seem to disagree so unmercifully.

He brought something to his work place. He's not a lunatic from outside bringing weapons to a place where he isn't supposed to be in the first place. Big difference imo.

Have you ever carried a gun to work? (i'm assuming your job doesn't involve a gun)

No. I only bring drugs to my work. You know, for lunch.
But I'm not American in the first place - guns are very uncommon around here, and I'm definitely not a big time multi-millionaire basketball player - those guys have guns, it's a fact.

I don't see how my personal situation should influence my opinion anyway.

Btw I do think it's wrong, he should be punished but not a whole season and more than that I'm amazed at how all of you seem to disagree so unmercifully.

If Ron Artest could be suspended for the rest of the season, I don't see how you can argue against Arenas being suspended indefinitely. He is, after all, the subject of a criminal investigation (not saying he did any wrong).

To elaborate: sure, Artest instigated a massive brawl that involved players as well as fans. You may argue that what Gil did was a joke and/or no one was hurt but the circumstances could have led to a worse ending.

There's nothing unmerciful about saying that a person who broke the law is being punished accordingly.

I'm no fan of guns, but I think violence is worse than having an unloaded gun in your locker - especially in the context. So it doesn't make sense to me to suspend somebody indefinitely for that, which is a much heavier penalty than a player would receive for punching another player in the face. Also against the law. But usually people don't pay the highest price for that..

It's certainly not the same as him shooting someone or yes, punching someone on the court. But what he did was still incredibly stupid, if only because of DC's strict laws on concealed weapons. Beyond that, it certainly was a "misguided effort to play a joke" as Arenas himself described the incident.

I think a big fine, perhaps a couple of games suspension is worse enough. Arenas doesn't get a break though cause he's being set as an example.

And that probably would've been the case had he not gone and pulled the stunt in Philadelphia, something that the Wizards themselves have condemned. If he'd kept his mouth shut, taken the charges seriously and not pulled that nonsense in Philadelphia, Stern probably would've waited until the investigation had finished and made a ruling, as he'd be entitled to do as per the terms and conditions of NBA contracts.

Yeah Rip, what you're saying about the JR Smith suspension, I see that, but I disagree with that one too. That's exactly my point. Basketball suspensions should be about basketball misbehaviour and nothing else, imo.

Players under contract do not cease to be professional basketball players when they leave the court. They are still employed by their teams (and in effect, the NBA) so they must still abide by the rules and conditions set forth by their contracts and off-court incidents and legal issues come under that umbrella because it reflects badly on the team and the league. If Arenas or anyone else does not like the provisions of an NBA contract, they should seek another vocation. And again, it happened on company time, essentially in Arenas' place of work (just not on the court itself). It's very much an NBA issue, directly violating a policy that he has to comply with as per his contract and it's a serious legal issue to boot.

An example from another sport would be Michael Vick. Admittedly what he did was much, much worse but the NFL suspended him after he admitted his involvement and rightfully so. A professional sporting league has every right to set forth a code of conduct and refuse to condone illegal activity. There's too much at stake with sponsorship dollars, legal ramifications and simple PR for entities like the NFL or NBA not to take matters like this seriously.

Btw I do think it's wrong, he should be punished but not a whole season and more than that I'm amazed at how all of you seem to disagree so unmercifully.

As I said, he probably wouldn't have received that suspension if he didn't continue to act like an idiot. I think the reason most people in this thread are so "unmerciful" about it is that most of us feel that Arenas has been incredibly stupid and it's the latest in a long line of antics that have grown more annoying than entertaining...but most of all, it's the stupidity and lack of judgement he's shown. He's supposed to be the franchise player, after all; he's certainly being paid like one. If he's going to publicly clown around about a very serious issue then I don't blame the NBA for suspending him until, frankly, he grows up and learns to control himself. When Kobe was facing rape charges, you didn't see him pointing to the Laker girls and making pelvic thrusts and obsence gestures.

As far as the suspension is concerned, "indefinite" suggests the rest of the season but it may not. They could very easily lift it in two weeks or once the matter is resolved from a legal standpoint or an agreement is reached with Arenas/the player's union.